


Shield me from the raging storm

by KrazySuperGirl



Series: Billions of Beautiful Hearts [2]
Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, DCU, DCU (Comics)
Genre: Angst and Fluff, Bruce Wayne is a Good Parent, Bruce has no idea what he's doing, Bruce keeps panicking, Dick Grayson Needs a Hug, Dick is adorable, Gen, Protective Parent Bruce Wayne, Romani Dick Grayson, Worried Parent Bruce Wayne, some hurt and comfort too
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-07
Updated: 2020-02-07
Packaged: 2021-02-27 23:41:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,750
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22604131
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KrazySuperGirl/pseuds/KrazySuperGirl
Summary: “Dick...” Bruce sighs, but he doesn't have the heart to say anything else, because Dick is showing an enthusiasm Bruce hasn't seen much of since his parents died. “Are you okay?”“Yeah.” Dick replies cheerfully.“What happened?”“He just grabbed me when I was outside.” Bruce resolutely ignores the fact that his heart is beating too fast, and decides to start teaching Dick some simple maneuvers to break holds later.(Or: Bruce and Dick continue traveling the world, Bruce has a few heart attacks, and he is definitely a dad.)
Relationships: Dick Grayson & Bruce Wayne
Series: Billions of Beautiful Hearts [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1624645
Comments: 53
Kudos: 642





	Shield me from the raging storm

**Author's Note:**

> This is a direct sequel to We'll fly with broken wings. If you didn't read that first, you might want to. I hope you like it.
> 
> Two days! I'm happy about that. And it's 1k words longer!

The first few weeks after the fall are hard. Dick spends his days lethargic or crying. Bruce, remembering what he was like after his own parents were killed, lets him sleep as much as he wants and wakes him up at regular intervals for food and other necessities. Bruce himself trains hard during the day and crashes at night, making sure to arrange for Dick to stay close by when he’s training. He pushes himself to the point of exhaustion every day, stopping just shy of using up the energy he needs to take care of Dick. He runs himself ragged, and the longer Dick stays nonverbal, the more concerned and stressed he becomes. Dick sleeps a lot, but it is rarely peaceful, except at night when he climbs into bed next to Bruce and curls up beside him. Their time in this place is short, since Bruce is pushing himself to learn as quickly as possible. 

Eventually, Dick starts to speak again, but the better part of what he says is in Romani. This is a problem since Bruce doesn’t understand the language and doesn't understand how to help Dick. At this point, they’re ready to move on, so Bruce sits down and looks at his options. He finds out that there is a small Romani community in Hungary ten miles west of the home of a master of using nerve strikes in combat. Bruce decides to take them there.

They arrive there and Bruce manages to convince the man to train him. Then, he has to convince the Roma people to teach him their language, which is not so straightforward. He asks around and finds out where an elder of the community lives. When she opens the door, she asks, “ _ Yes? _ ” in Hungarian.

With his limited knowledge of the language, he asks, “ _ Do you speak English? _ ”

“I do.” she responds. 

He smiles in relief. “I apologize for coming to your home unannounced. My name is Bruce, and this is Dick. I asked around, and I was told you are an elder, and good with the Romani language. Dick just lost his parents, and I want to help him, but he speaks Romani half the time, and I can't ask him to stop speaking it. I was hoping you could help me?”

She stares at him consideringly. “You better come inside. I’ll make some tea, and you can call me Mrs Amira.”

Bruce thanks her and steps inside. Once the tea is made, she says, “I assume you want me to teach you the language.”

“Yes.”

“What dialect does he speak?” she asks, giving Dick a cookie.

“I don't know.” he admits.

She gives him an unimpressed look. “Where were his parents from?” she asks instead.

“His mother was from Hungary.”

“Good. And his father?”

“He was American.”

She raises her eyes heavenward. “This is your first lesson. There are several main groups of dialects, and many more dialects included in each of those groups. People from different dialect groups often can’t understand each other at all because of how different they are. Additionally, there are Para-Romani groups of dialects which are essentially mixtures of Romani and other languages. Some full Rom never learn any variation of the language at all, and being mixed, he was unlikely to have even learned it in the first place. His mother was from Hungary, so that narrows it down, and luckily I know most of the dialects from this area. If he is speaking Romani, I will probably be able to identify it, but that only applies if it is not Para-Romani.”

“His parents spoke mostly English, and his mother just called it Romani. I don't know if that helps.”

“Not really.”

“Oh. Sorry.”

She waves it off. “You’re lucky you clearly love the child so much, or I would not have this much patience for you.” She mutters something under her breath about  _ gadjo. _

Bruce ducks his head sheepishly. “Dick, could you tell Mrs Amira about yourself? You can talk to her in Romani and she’ll understand you.”

Dick looks at them both for a second then asks something in Romani. From the look on Mrs Amira’s face, Bruce assumes she understands him and sighs in relief. She says something back to him ending with a question. Whatever he says seems to be about Bruce, because he hears “Babi” a couple of times, and the elderly woman shoots him a bemused look.

She tells him, “He says you are traveling together and that you are a superhero.”

Bruce chokes a little on his tea. “Uh, yes to the first part, no to the second. I’m just looking for ways to help people.”

She hums. “Well, I can tell you what dialect he’s speaking. It’s  _ Cerhari _ , which is good, because that is my primary dialect, though not the primary dialect of this particular region. Not everybody here speaks it. There are more people who speak it if you go further to the west of the country. You were very lucky that you managed to find me and that I can understand him.”

“Ah, thank you.”

“Will you be in this area for long?”

“A few weeks, maybe over a month.”

“Not ideal, but it will work if you're good at learning languages. Are you?”

“Yes.”

“Great! And little Dick here can help, can’t you? Do you think you can teach your Babi to speak Romani?'' She repeated the sentence in Romani, and Bruce’s lessons began.

They stayed there for the next month and a half. Bruce progressed quickly, in both his physical training and his language learning. Mrs Amira had managed to draw Dick out of his shell somewhat, which Bruce was very glad to see. It had saddened him when he saw Dick retreat into himself when he used to be such a cheerful child, and he knew he himself wasn't the best example for the boy. Dick was delighted that Bruce was learning Romani and spoke rapidly to Bruce in the language, to which the man undoubtedly owed much of his progress. Dick spent his days with Mrs Amira or tagged along to watch Bruce train, and quickly became beloved by the Roma community. Slowly, they were healing.

Bruce started to hesitate to bring Dick when he trained, since it was becoming more brutal and violent, and the man he was training under was eyeing the little boy in a suspicious way. The man was growing increasingly impatient with Bruce’s refusal to use his techniques to kill. One day, he finally lost patience and summoned two of his other students. One of them came and stood to face Bruce, and the other man was holding something squirming in his arms. With a start, Bruce realized it was Dick. The man held a knife to his throat and Bruce shouted in fear, “Dick!”

The instructor said coldly, “You keep refusing to obey my teachings, and this is the consequence. You will fight to the death,” he gestures to the man standing across from Bruce, “or the boy will die.”

Bruce studies the scene with a scowl on his face. “Let me at least make sure he is alright.” he growls.

The instructor stares at him. “Fine.” he snaps.

Bruce goes to crouch in front of Dick. “ _ Are you alright, Dick? _ ” he asks in Romani, so the other men don’t understand.

Dick nods.

“ _ Did they hurt you? _ ”

Dick shakes his head.

“ _ When I say ‘go’, I want you to run and get out of here, alright? _ ”

Dick nods and Bruce grabs the hand holding the knife and pulls it away from his neck as if to make sure he hadn't been cut. When the man’s hand leaves Dick to grab at Bruce, Bruce leaps up, lightning-quick to pinch a nerve in his neck. As the man collapses, Bruce turns to face the other two and yells to Dick, “ _ GO! _ ”

Dick dashes out the door and Bruce intercepts the man who moves to follow. The instructor watches while they fight. It doesn't take long for Bruce to get in his shot, and the man goes down. The instructor muses as he approaches Bruce and they begin to trade blows, “Even though your refusal to use kill shots is infuriating, I must admit, you are good. You redirect every single killing strike to make it an incapacitating strike, which takes not a little amount of control, but you will not win against me. I have the advantage in this fight.”

Bruce doesn’t say anything. He lunges, feints, and brings his leg around to kick out the man’s feet, and the instructor goes down, surprise written on his face. Bruce gives him a particularly painful nerve strike, and growls, “You forgot, you were not my only teacher.”

He leaves the three men on the floor, and goes to search for Dick. He finds him right outside the door, where he jumps up and hugs Bruce’s leg. “That was awesome!” he exclaims.

“Dick...” Bruce sighs, but he doesn't have the heart to say anything else, because Dick is showing an enthusiasm Bruce hasn't seen much of since his parents died. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah.” Dick replies cheerfully.

“What happened?”

“He just grabbed me when I was outside.” Bruce resolutely ignores the fact that his heart is beating too fast, and decides to start teaching Dick some simple maneuvers to break holds later.

“From now on, I want you to stay in sight of me at all times when I'm training. This is important. The people I train with are not always good people, so stay close to me. Do you understand, Dick?”

“Yes, Babi.”

“Good. You did good today following my order. Good job.” He ruffles Dick’s hair affectionately.

When he sees Mrs Amira later that day, they’ve packed everything and he informs her, “Dick and I have to move on again, but thank you for helping us.”

“You’re welcome. That boy is a blessing. You take good care of him, okay?”

“I will.”

“You better give me your email address so we can keep in touch. Don't give me that look. I’m old, not stupid.”

He grins and scribbles down the address. “ _ Sorry Mrs Amira _ .”

“Mhm. Take care, alright?” She gives him a hug.

“You too.”

“And you be good for your Babi, okay Dick?”

“Okay.”

“ _ And don't forget to give him trouble if he doesn't keep practicing, yeah? _ ”

Dick giggles, “ _ yeah.” _

Next, they travel to Beijing, where there is a monastery of monks outside the city. They settle at the monastery, where the monks are very welcoming of Dick’s presence, which lets Bruce relax, if only a little. They go into the city to explore a little, and Dick excitedly drinks in the unfamiliar people, smells, sounds, and writing. He tries to go to every toy vendor he sees, and Bruce almost loses him when the boy finds a pet shop. It takes a long time for him to begin to wind down. 

Somewhere along the way, Bruce spots a payphone, and he realizes abruptly that it’s been a couple months since he called Alfred that first time. He loses sight of the phone, but it nags at him for the rest of the day. He remembers guiltily that he hadn't called Alfred at all between leaving Gotham and meeting the Graysons. When he sees another phone, he tells Dick to sit still on a nearby bench while he dials the Manor’s number. This time he knows it will be the middle of the night in Gotham, but he can’t quite work up the courage to call when he knows Alfred will answer. “Hi, Alfred,” he says when the answering machine comes on. “It’s me, Bruce. I just wanted to let you know I’m okay. I’m in China now.

“Something happened…” he begins, but thinks better of it.

“I’m doing fine,” he says instead.

A couple feet away, Dick gets up and does a handstand on the bench. “Babi,” he calls, “can we go now? I’m bored!”

There is a smile in his voice when he says, “I have to go. I’ll try to call more often.”

He hangs up and says to Dick, “I’m coming, I’m coming.”

Their time at the monastery is good. They are given a single room, admittedly bare, but it saves them having to travel to and from the city. Bruce trains, and Dick watches or chats with the monks. That is, he chats with the monks who know English, but his knowledge, and Bruce’s knowledge, of Chinese gets better and soon he is making use of his limited understanding of the language to talk to anyone who will spare their attention. Bruce though, finds Dick’s dedication to talking to as many people as possible somewhat baffling. He’s very glad Dick isn't so withdrawn anymore, but he decides this is one area he will never understand Dick. The boy does tend to stick close to Bruce, though, which relieves some of Bruce’s stress, even though he knows the monks are trustworthy. 

One problem that arises, however, is Dick’s inability to focus on something for long periods of time. Since much of the training is mental, and Dick usually accompanies Bruce when he trains, this quickly becomes unengaging. Dick’s nervous energy starts to build, which puts both of them in a bad mood. To solve this problem, one of the monks suggests the idea of moving meditation. They base the exercises on pieces of Dick’s acrobatic training that don't require equipment. This way, Dick can practice his acrobatics while keeping his mind calm and occupied at the same time.

They stay at the monastery for three months. Bruce slowly gets better at the whole caretaker job and Dick slowly begins to move past his grief. It is slow though, and there are still bad days and much progress to be made. Dick’s mood becomes volatile sometimes, sending him into meltdowns at the smallest things, or making him deliriously happy and cheerful. On one of the bad days, Dick wakes up from a nightmare screaming. Bruce is quick to come to his side, but Dick cries in shuddering gasps and doesn't uncurl from the ball on the bed. Unsure of what to do, Bruce picks him up and puts him in his lap. Dick grabs onto Bruce’s shirt, but he wails, “I wa-want my M-mami and Tati!”

Bruce tries to comfort him, but his crying is coming in pained sobs, and Bruce doesn’t know what he should do. Mrs Amira had taught him songs in Romani, he remembers. One of them was a lullaby. He tries to remember how it went. He starts off slow and unsteady, but starts to remember more of the song as he goes. When Dick hears it, he cries even harder, but he clings tighter to Bruce, so Bruce continues. He goes through the whole song, but Dick is still crying, if somewhat quieter than before, so he starts a new lullaby, one he remembers his mother singing to him.

_ “You are my sunshine, my only sunshine, _

_ You make me happy, when skies are gray…” _

He sings all the verses, hoping he’s remembering them right. It’s been such a long time since he heard the song. Bruce starts rocking back and forth a bit, and he hopes it’s helping, because he has no idea what he’s doing. He’s twenty years old and taking care of a four-year-old child. Bruce is aware of the problems with his mental and emotional state, but he never thought of how they would affect others. Now, Dick could suffer developmentally and emotionally as a result of Bruce’s failures. Even if he was in perfect mental condition, he was far too young to raise a child, let alone one with such complicated emotional needs. He could never be what Dick needs. He wraps his arms around the boy tighter. He comes to the end of the song. Dick is crying in quiet little whimpers, face buried in Bruce’s chest and arms clinging to his sides. Bruce runs his fingers through Dick’s hair, murmuring, “I know, I’m sorry. It’s okay, you’re going to be okay. I’m here.”

Finally, Dick drifts off to sleep, and Bruce puts him back in bed. He brushes the hair back sadly from the little tear-stained face and kisses his forehead. “I’m sorry.” he whispers.

When Bruce gets up to leave, Dick cries out in his sleep and reaches out to the man. Bruce hesitates for a second, but then he climbs into the bed and wraps his arms around Dick to wait for him to fall into a deeper sleep. It doesn't take long for Bruce to drift off too.

And this is how their life continues. Bruce trains, Dick chats with the monks, Bruce and Dick go into the city together and explore, Dick struggles with the trauma of losing his parents, and Bruce tries to help him through it. The training Bruce does with the monks ends up being a little helpful for Dick in that area, though Bruce realizes he’ll need a little more help than that. He finds some parenting books to buy (refuses to call himself Dick’s parent), and that is a huge help, but Bruce is starting to realize that this is not a good life to live with a child. At the circus, Dick had a stable life, as well as family. Now, even though the traveling is familiar to Dick, the only stable thing in his life is Bruce. The people Bruce trains with are not always going to be good like the monks. Bruce doesn't want to think about a repeat of what happened with his last trainer. Bruce begins contemplating finding someone else to take care of Dick. If they had been in Gotham, things would be so much simpler. Bruce would be better able to keep Dick safe, and Alfred would be of invaluable help, but just the thought of going back to Gotham now causes Bruce’s stomach to churn violently at the anxiety the idea genera 

Eventually, they move on from Beijing. The next destination is in Pakistan, and Dick enjoys the sun, though Bruce does not. They stay for a couple weeks, long enough for Dick to pick up a bit of the language. One day, as they are walking through a deserted back road, Bruce realizes. There is someone following them. There is no time to do anything because the person is already moving. Bruce pushes Dick away from the person’s trajectory. “Run!” he tells him.

Two knives embed themselves in both of Bruce's shoulders and he stumbles back with a grunt. The attacker sweeps forward and snatches Dick into his arms. Dick screams, “Babi!”

Bruce pulls the knives out and lunges forward to kick out the man’s legs. He falls back and pushes himself up to kick Bruce in the chest as he flips over to land on his feet. Bruce skids back then scrambles to his feet and grabs the knives from the ground. He has to get Dick away from their assailant. 

Dick is struggling in the man’s grasp, and as soon as Bruce spots an opening, he darts forward and slices at the arm holding Dick. He scores a deep cut to the muscles at the underarm, and the man’s arm drops momentarily. As soon as it does, Bruce slashes at the forearm, causing the man to open his fist still holding Dick.

Bruce grabs Dick as the assassin lunges at Bruce with knives in hand. Bruce manages to angle his body so his side takes the brunt of the attack, protecting Dick. Bruce goes on the defensive, trying to find an opening to breathe and regather himself. He looks to the injuries he had already given the attacker. The cloth is cut open, showing only pale smooth skin underneath. Whoever this is has training, perhaps on par with Bruce’s own, however, injuries only give him a second's pause before they seemingly disappear, and Bruce is being slowed down by Dick in his arms. Bruce does not have the advantage in this fight.

He manages to put Dick down behind some cover before their attacker is onto him again. The man speaks, voice rough and smooth at the same time, “The Gray Son belongs to the Court of Owls.”

Ah. If Bruce is remembering the old nursery rhyme correctly, then this is a Talon. He snarls. “ _ Dick _ will never belong to you.”

Bruce and the Talon trade blows over and over. Bruce is beginning to tire and is acquiring a collection of grazes and near-misses, but the Talon is unfaltering. Finally, the Talon gets under Bruce’s guard and sends him flying. His head cracks against the ground and his vision blurs momentarily, but he sees the Talon stalking towards Dick. Dick backs away and begins to run, and before the assassin can run after him, Bruce struggles to his feet and launches himself at the man. “Get  _ away _ from him.” he growls.

Bruce is angry and is on the offensive now. His opponent is more agile than him, but Bruce is stronger. The Talon won’t be able to be taken down, but if Bruce is right, they can slow him down, then evade him in a populated area. The Court will not attack in broad daylight with countless witnesses. The Talon cannot be killed. With that in mind, Bruce throws his knives so both embed in the man’s throat. He sprints to where he can see Dick hiding, scoops him up and runs to where he knows there are busier streets.

The Court of Owls will never touch his boy again. (It will take a very long time for Bruce to realize he phrased it that way.) They find a bustling street festival and slip into the crowd. Bruce snatches some simple disguises from a nearby display, then turns his attention to Dick. Dick is shaking in his arms and a few tears make their way down his cheeks. “Are you hurt?” Bruce asks anxiously.

Dick hiccups, “He was going to t-take me away.”

Looking over the little boy and at least finding nothing bleeding, Bruce says, “I won’t let him. I’ll protect you. I promise, okay?” He cups Dick’s cheek.

Dick nods and buries his face in Bruce’s collar. Bruce rubs his back. “I’ve got you.” he murmurs.

Bruce stays on high alert all the way back to their room. He gathers their things and packs up and he tries to find the best place to go to avoid attracting the Court’s attention again.

They move on, and they continue their routine, until a few months later when a Talon attacks them again. This time, Bruce discovers they can be harmed by cold temperatures. He also abandons any plans he had of finding someone better to take care of Dick. It would be impossible to find someone to both protect and care for Dick adequately. He also realizes that Dick has separation anxiety. He didn't notice earlier because it’s mild, and Dick doesn’t cling, but he never lets Bruce leave his sight. If, for some reason it does happen, Dick is anxious and upset for the whole day. Bruce suspects it started around the time Bruce’s trainer tried to use Dick as leverage. That incident coincided with Dick beginning to process some of his trauma from when his parents died and with Bruce and Dick being closer. Obviously, Bruce can’t cause him more trauma by leaving him.

They are attacked three more times by a Talon in the next year. Bruce fights them off every time, and gathers data on them. He even analyzes their blood. He discovers electrum in their blood, then finds the same element in one of Dick’s teeth. After having it removed, Bruce is furious. The next Talon gets a particularly viciously sliced neck.

Dick was less upset at the fact that the Court wanted him that he was at the fact that they wanted to hurt Bruce and take him away from the man. He seemed to trust Bruce’s promise though, and after the second Talon, he was never very worried. He seemed to have also regained his cheerful gregariousness. Of course, there would always be some part of him that would never heal fully from the death of his parents, but he was demonstrating remarkable resilience. He adapted to everything easily and seemed to always be looking for reasons to be happy. He would bug Bruce to do something if he sensed that he was down or just climbed into his lap to cuddle. He would cartwheel to breakfast and flip over the back of the couch instead of sitting directly. He was a naturally empathetic child and gravitated towards other people like a camel to water, and he picked up countless pieces of languages, and loved the variety they encountered while they traveled. Bruce was grateful for Dick’s presence in his life. There was never a day where Dick didn't bring a smile to his face. If he thought back to the teenager he was and compared him to the person he was now, he couldn't deny that taking care of Dick had a positive impact on him. He thought selfishly that he was glad he had the opportunity to.

One day, after they had been traveling together for a year and a half, Bruce and Dick were settled on the couch of a cheap motel room, watching TV while they ate a takeout dinner. Dick had gone suspiciously quiet, but when Bruce checked, he hadn't fallen asleep, but was staring thoughtfully at the screen. “What’s on your mind, chum?” he asks.

Dick grins at the nickname, then indicates the TV. “How come that boy calls her Mom if he was born with a different mom?” he asks, talking about the characters on-screen.

Bruce pauses to think of what to say. “Because the mom he was born with can't raise him anymore, so he needs a different mom.”

“He can have two moms?”

“Yes. Some kids have two moms or two dads because they are married to each other, but some kids have two moms or two dads because the parents they were born with can't take care of them, so they get adopted by other people who become their new moms and dads.”

“Oh.” Dick thinks this over. “Did you adopt me so you can be my dad too?”

Bruce freezes. His brain refuses to come up with anything to say, but the longer he doesn't say anything, the sadder Dick’s face gets. He has to say something. “I don't have to adopt you to be your dad, but I will when we go back to the United States.”

Oh.

Bruce did not mean to say that.

Bruce didn't  _ not _ mean to say that.

Dick is smiling.

Bruce is adopting Dick.

Alright then.

Dick is Bruce’s son.

Huh.

Dick, completely oblivious to Bruce’s lowkey panic, is saying, “I knew you were my dad. I just didn't know I could call you my dad, because I already had a dad, and I loved Tati, but lots of people have two dads, and they love them both, so that means you’re my dad too, because I love you.”

Independently of Bruce’s brain, his body smiles and says, “I love you too, Dickie.”

Okay.

Sure.

It  _ is _ true.

And it's not like Bruce hasn't spent the past year going along with people who assume they are father and son.

And it’s not like Bruce doesn’t think of Dick as his child already.

Oh.

Bruce thinks of Dick as his child.

Okay.

Sure.

Bruce has a kid.

He needs to buy parenting books.

Bruce already bought parenting books.

Bruce is a parent.

Okay.

Sure.

That’s fine.

That’s good.

That’s great.

He will have to take care of Dick. Keep him safe and healthy and happy.

Bruce is going to be such a bad parent.

Bruce is going to ruin Dick.

Dick is…

...Dick is happy. 

Dick is happy and healthy and as safe as he can be.

Bruce has been taking care of Dick for a year and a half and Dick is happy.

Okay.

Bruce is a parent. He can do this. He  _ is _ doing this. Bruce ruffles Dick’s hair and pulls him close tentatively. Dick wraps his arms around him and snuggles close. Bruce hugs him with more confidence and a small smile makes its way onto his face. 

Bruce is a parent.

**Author's Note:**

> All my information on Romani is from Wikipedia. If anything is wrong, please tell me. Mary's maiden name is Lloyd so a case could be made for her being from further north, except Welsh Romani is extinct as a first language. I had Dick speak Cerhari because it is from one of the more widely-spoken groups of dialects.
> 
> Again, if anything is wrong, please tell me.
> 
> (Poor Bruce. He was really panicking there, wasn't he? He'll be okay.)
> 
> Tell me what you thought. What was good, what was cringey, what was cute, and what was sad.


End file.
